It’s over! The fat lady has done her part and has waddled off the stage, and our legislators are packing up and heading home from Olympia. At this point there is no talk of the need for a special session, unlike the three special sessions we had last year. .

The 2017-2018 biennium set a record for the number of gun related bills filed: 48, 25 anti-, 20 pro- and three neutral. But as foretold in the Book of Matthew, “Many are called but few are chosen.” Only four of the 48 managed to make it to the governor’s desk: None of the pro-gun bills made the cut in the Democrat-dominated legislature, surprise, surprise. HB 2519 and SBs 5553, 5992 and 6248 were the chosen few. SB 6620, the last minute “assault weapon” bill, failed to get a vote on the last day of the session (given the time allowed, it was unlikely to pass the House anyway).

On Tuesday, 7 March, Governor Inslee signed SB 5992, the “bump stock” ban. In its final version, it only applied specifically to bump stocks and not to other “trigger devices,” and allows for a one-year buy-back period to be set up by the Washington State Patrol. Your reward for complying with the law is $150. (As far as I can tell, nothing prevents you from shipping or selling them out of state, as long as the transaction occurs out-of-state).

HB 2519 and SBs 5553 and 6298 sit on the governor’s desk awaiting his action. He has three options: sign the bill(s) as is, section veto portions he doesn’t like allowing the remainder to become law, or let it sit without his signature, at which point it will become law. Unlike the president, Washington has no provision for a “pocket veto” (no signature) to kill a bill. I expect the governor to sign all three bills, as he did SB 5992.

As I reported earlier, HB 2519 was amended in the House to allow issue of CPLs to current and former military members aged 18-20. That amendment was pulled by the Senate Law & Justice committee. The conference committee also amended the final version of the bill added language that allows the issuing authority to require a photograph be submitted with the application, and that photograph to be embossed on the license. This was discussed by the Department of Licensing more than ten years ago but never implemented. It is solely up to the issuing authority to require it. Some states have photo CPLs, other do not.

It appears in my rush to head for Las Vegas in January for the annual Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trades show, I missed an anti-gun bill filed. HB 2805 (Rep. Pollet, D-46) would ban the sale of exposed lead projectile ammunition to those 18-20 years old. Concerns about lead poisoning among the young, according to the bill language. Maybe Chicago should consider such a bill.

Given the fact that for the first time in several years Democrats control both the House and Senate as well as the governor’s mansion, why so few anti-gun bills passed? One or two pro-gun Democrats in each chamber helped us, and 2018 is mid-term election year. Had they passed a slew of anti-gun bills, they likely would have lost perhaps several rural-area legislative seats in November. Expect them to come back in January, 2019 with blood in their eyes for gun owners.

By failing to address the “assault weapon” issue, it opens the door for an initiative later this year that is likely to go well beyond simple registration and/or age limits. And as we’ve been hearing from Florida over the past week, where the Republican-majority legislature just raised the age to buy long guns to 21 AND imposed a three-day waiting period because of the Parkland school shooting, there are far too many gun owners out there who don’t like “black rifles.” Or as we call them, Elmer Fudds, “As long as they don’t come after my wabbit gun, I don’t care what they do about other guns.”

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993. Also toll free!!!

1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature’s web site at “www.leg.wa.gov“. Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe’s web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need “RealAudio” to do this, available free at the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate “bill reports” (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the “roll call” for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to “goalwa@cox.net “. Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at “joewaldron@cox.net” or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at “goalwa@cox.net” with the words “Unsubscribe GOAL Post” in the subject line. I will remove your name immediately. Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun lists. If you received GP via a list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Puyallup 24-25 March

Puyallup 28-29 April

“The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”

Bills continue to move as the session winds down. SB 5992 (bump stock ban) has been sent to Governor Inslee for his signature. HBs 2363 (drone delivery of contraband) and 2519 (return of CPLs) still await a floor vote. SBs 5553 (suicidal, waiver of rights) and 6298 (DV harassment firearm ban) were both amended in the House and thus require a concurrence vote by the Senate. HB 3004 (school safety/semi-auto rifles) was assigned to House Judiciary, where it sits without action.

The biggest news this week is that SB 6620, the newly-filed “School security and safety of students” bill, was significantly amended in the Senate Ways & Means committee before passing out to Senate Rules for a floor vote yesterday. Shotguns were completely removed from the bill, All reference to “tactical features” for semi-auto rifles was removed – meaning it now applies to ALL semi-auto rifles, even your 10-22. It grandfathers existing legal possession, meaning 18-20 year olds that currently possess semi-auto rifle(s) may keep them. The requirement for the dealer (FFL) to file a separate background check request to local law enforcement (as is done with handguns) remains, but it eliminates delivery of a copy to the Department of Licensing and prohibits DoL from entering the information into a data base. While arguably a slight improvement in the bill, it is still an unacceptable violation of both the 2nd Amendment and Article 1, Section 24.

There are six days left on the legislative session, which by law must end by midnight next Thursday. Most of that time will be taken up with House and Senate floor sessions, taking up the bills that haven’t had their final vote yet. Differences in bills as passed by both chambers, where they exist (bills amended in the second chamber) must be reconciled before a final vote may be taken.

For those of you who have been following the high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and the mass, mainstream media-driven outrage that followed it, you might have questioned how the response could have been so well organized. The linked article below gives some background on that. Be prepared for similar performances (and that’s what much of it is, an orchestrated performance) following future incidents. Their end goal is effective repeal of the Second Amendment through further restrictions on firearms. Of all types (look how they amended SB 6620 (above) from semi-auto rifles with “tactical features” to include ALL semi-auto rifles). .

Read this the results of this survey by PoliceOne.com to see what 15,000 law enforcement professionals think of various gun control proposals. It’s dated, but came out shortly after the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, so it ties in with today’s happenings.

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993. Also toll free!!!

1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature’s web site at “www.leg.wa.gov“. Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe’s web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need “RealAudio” to do this, available free at the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate “bill reports” (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the “roll call” for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to “goalwa@cox.net “. Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTEGOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at “joewaldron@cox.net” or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at “goalwa@cox.net” with the words “Unsubscribe GOAL Post” in the subject line. I will remove your name immediately. Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun lists. If you received GP via a list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Puyallup 24-25 March

Puyallup 28-29 April

“The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”

I’d say I’m sorry for the rush of messages, but I’m not. The rush is caused by end-of-session manipulation by Democrat “leadership” in Olympia, and calls for a strong response.

As I have posted frequently, it ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings. And she’s not scheduled to sing until midnight on 8 March (a week from this coming Thursday). While the legislature sets cut-off dates and other procedural processes to keep bills moving and cull out other bills, the bottom line is that these are not written in the state Constitution, they are internal rules adopted by the legislature and may be changed by the legislature at will.

The House has filed a “counterpart bill”, HB 3004, to SB 6620. A counterpart bill is a verbatim duplicate of the bill filed in the other chamber. If both pass unamended, it/they go straight to the governor for his signature.

SB 6620/HB 3004 is a 14 section, 28 page bill in their words, “Improving security in schools and the safety of our students.” What it is is a Trojan horse, gun control hidden under the guise of the standard Democrat mantra “It’s for the children.”

Part I of the bill is a single section less than one page in length and talks about unspecified funding for “school emergency response systems.” Part II, “Students protecting students,” is three more sections spread over 10 pages and discusses nominally establishes a program whereby students may – anonymously if so desired – report potential threats to school safety and sets out procedures, including court action, to be followed, as well as identity protection for all involved in the process up to and including law enforcement and court personnel.

Part III is the zinger, “Semiautomatic rifles or shotguns with tactical features.” 18 pages, 24 sections describing the offending firearms as semi-auto rifles or shotguns with detachable magazines (mostly the features such as pistol grip, thumbhole stock, flash hider, grenade launcher – the standard litany of evil features from the federal 1994 Clinton/Feinstein “assault weapon ban”). There are some omissions here but I’m not going to identify them. Please note that these definitions do not include tube-fed firearms or manually operated firearms.

The principal focus in Part III is shifting “semiautomatic rifles and shotguns” to the same category as that applied to handguns: they can only be sold to individuals age 21 and over, and are subject to the additional requirements for handguns: additional state paperwork and waiting periods (with the existing CPL exemption).

Keep in mind, under I-594 ALL firearm transfers must be processed by a licensed dealer, meaning that de facto registration already exists via the FFL’s required record-keeping, but this would effectively add offending semi-auto firearms to the state pistol registry, creating an on-line data base of such firearms.

It also increases the state firearm dealers license fee from $125 to $150.

It is the intention of legislative “leadership” to ram this bill through before the end of the session. How much time will be given to public testimony remains to be seen – at this point no public hearings are scheduled.

It is imperative that you contact your legislators as soon as possible to ask that they remove Part III from the bill. Parts I and II are likely legitimate, but Part III is strictly a ploy to use school and children’s safety as a cover for more gun control.

Once you find your district, simply scroll down to see your Senator and Representatives listed. Click on their name and it will take you to their information, including a link to e-mail them.

Or you can call the Legislative Hotline tollfree at (800) 562-6000.

We need to flood the legislature with you going on record opposing Part III of SB 6620/HB 3004.

This is just step one on their agenda. There is already discussion of raising the age limit for the purchase of ALL firearms to age 21. The Bill of Rights does not impose an age limit on the exercise of fundamental, enumerated (listed) constitutional rights. Not to mention the fact that you can enlist in the military, or be drafted, and fight for your country at age 18.

If anyone receiving this is attending the WAC gun show in Puyallup today, please make copies of this and take them to the show. Thank you/.

Today, anti-gun legislators in Olympia have submitted Senate Bill 6620 just two weeks before the end of the current session. SB 6620 includes provisions that would raise the minimum age to purchase a semi-automatic rifle or shotgun to 21 years of age and would also establish a 10 day waiting period. SB 6620 has been referred to the Senate Ways & Means Committee and can be heard as early as 9:00AM tomorrow. Please use the “Take Action” button below to contact committee members and your state Senator and urge them to remove the anti-gun provisions in SB 6620! Click the “Take Action” button below to contact committee members and your state Senator.

Senate Bill 6620, sponsored by Senator David Frockt (D-46), would raise the minimum purchasing age for semi-automatic rifles and shotguns in the State of Washington from 18 to 21 years of age based on cosmetic features. Federal Law already prohibits adults under the age of 21 from purchasing a handgun from a licensed firearm dealer. Legislative proposals to prevent law-abiding adults aged 18-20 years old from acquiring modern semi-automatic rifles or shotguns would deny them access to the most modern and effective rifles for self-defense, thus depriving them of their constitutional rights.

This legislation attempts to brand these firearms as having “tactical features” to drum up unnecessary fear of their ownership. In reality, these firearms are only being defined by aesthetic features that in no way affect the functionality of the rifle. Semi-automatic firearms only fire one shot per action of the trigger, and such technology has been available to American consumers for over a century. Semi-automatic firearms are commonly owned by law-abiding citizens for various purposes such as self-defense, recreation, competition, and hunting.

SB 6620 would also establish what amounts to a 10-day waiting period for transfers of these firearms by requiring that they go through the state background check like handguns rather than the federal National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) that are currently used for all long gun transactions. While federal law allows for such transactions to be completed if three days have elapsed from the time of the “delayed” response, the state check requires a wait of ten days in such a scenario.

We need serious proposals to prevent violent criminals and the dangerously mentally ill from acquiring firearms. Passing a law such as this punishes law-abiding citizens for the evil acts of criminals. The NRA supports efforts to prevent those who are a danger to themselves or others from getting access to firearms. At the same time, we will continue to oppose gun control measures that only serve to punish law-abiding citizens. These are not mutually exclusive or unachievable goals.

In addition, the Washington state House of Representatives voted 56-41 to pass Senate Bill 5992 to ban bump-fire stock attachments. An amendment was added on the House floor to provide compensation to those who surrender these accessories to state authorities. Unfortunately, other amendments were defeated 48-49, such as one that would have required a study to be done regarding whether bump-fire stock attachments are used in crime. SB 5992 will now go back to the state Senate for a concurrence vote.

Again, please contact committee members and your state Senator urging them to remove the anti-gun provisions in Senate Bill 6620!

BILLS MOVE
NO PUBLIC HEARINGS NEXT WEEK
CONFERENCE COMMITTEES
TWO WEEKS LEFT IN SESSION
FLORIDA SHOOTING

HB 2363 (drone delivery of contraband) passed out of Senate Law & Justice to Senate Rules awaiting a floor vote. HB 2519 (return of CPLs) also passed out of Senate Law & Justice to Rules, but not before they amended the bill to it’s original form, removing the language that allowed current and former military members aged 18-20 to apply for and receive a concealed pistol license (several states with age 21 CPL requirements have opened them up to military members over 18). ed on the House floor to reimburse those owners who surrender them to police. SB 5553 (suicidal, waiver of firearm rights) passed out of the House on a77-20 vote with one excused. SB 5992 (bump stock ban) passed out of the House on a 56-41 vote also. The bill was amended to create a buyback program for banned bump stocks. Seven other amendments to limit the impact of the bill failed. SB 6298 (DV harassment firearms ban) passed out of the House Judiciary committee with an important amendment. Back in 1994, when many DV-related misdemeanors were made firearm disqualifiers, it was retroactive – a listed DV-related conviction at any time in the past prohibited future possession of firearms. SB 6298 was amended to allow only DV harassment convictions after this law takes effect to act as a disqualifier.

Unfortunately, the amendment is still lipstick on a pig. No misdemeanor conviction of any law should allow denial of a fundamental, enumerated right listed in the Constitution. Period. Add to that the common he said, she said nature of many of these DV offenses, in many cases with no physical proof offered. (We’ve been over this before: domestic violence is a serious issue and must not be tolerated, but if it’s that serious, make it a felony.)

No public hearings involving firearms are scheduled for next week. It’s all floor action now.

If a bill is amended in the second chamber and passes, it must go back to the original chamber to approve the change. If approval (another floor vote) is not granted, it goes to a conference committee composed of members from both chambers to iron out the difference(s). Then it goes back to both chambers for approval.

At this point, and we’re pretty far along in the session, it appears there will be no immediate, direct impact of the Florida shooting in Olympia. For now.

If you’ve been following the national news all this past week, it appears the only thing in the world that has happened is the Parkland, Florida school shooting. The overwhelming media focus is on gun control, calling for bans on AR-15s and other “assault weapons,” raising the age to purchase “assault weapons,” or in some cases, all firearms, to 21. Suggestions have also been made by some to arm SOME teachers (the establishment doesn’t like that, nor do teachers’ unions), or to provide for more school resource officers. The outcome remains to be seen.

A couple of things of note, though. The call for more gun control seems to be exceptionally-well organized. And funded. One Parkland survivor invited to attend a CNN episode on the shooting says he was denied the opportunity to ask the questions he wanted to ask, and instead was given a scripted question to ask. More and more information has come out about the shooter and the incident. He was a long term “problem kid,” with many fellow students reporting major issues with him including threats, he was expelled from Parkland, the Broward County Sheriff’s deputies had made more than three dozen calls to his home in the past few years. Clearly red flags were being waved – and ignored. Then the FBI dropped the ball after the “kid” posted a You Tube comment that he wanted to become a “professional school shooter” (a comment alleged made at other times and places, too).

The worst failure here was the fact that they just revealed that the on-scene School Resource Officer stayed outside under cover when the shooting started, and remained outside for at least four minutes. The major lesson learned in 1999 after the Columbine, CO, school shooting is that you don’t wait outside to ee how things develop, you immediately enter. It’s called “running to the sound of gunfire” and has been “school shooter” Rule #1 since 1999. The news is reporting that the officer has resigned, but most fail to add that he was actually allowed to retire.

Just before I closed this out, another local police department whose officers responded to the Parkland H.S. shooting are reporting that when they arrived on scene, four additional Broward County deputies were also outside the school, guns drawn, but not going inside.

Former Milwaukee County Sheriff, NRA Director and staunch pro-gun advocate made the comment that George Soros fingerprints are all over this. I tend not to buy into conspiracy theories for a variety of reasons, but the number of coincidences in this one certainly raise questions. (And the media now says these conspiracy theories originated with the Russian. Maybe the shooter was a Russian immigrant?)

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature’s web site at “www.leg.wa.gov“. Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe’s web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need “RealAudio” to do this, available free at the TVW web site). Each bill’s web page contains a link to any public hearing at the bottom of the page.

By reading the House and Senate “bill reports” (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the “roll call” for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to “jwaldron@halcyon.com“. Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at “jwaldron@halcyon.com” or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at “jwaldron@halcyon.com” with the words “Unsubscribe GOAL Post” in the subject line. I will remove your name immediately. Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun lists. If you received GP via a list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

“The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”

IMPACT OF FLORIDA SCHOOL SHOOTING
DEMOCRATS WHINE ABOUT GUN CONTROL
MEDIA, TOO
CHAMBER CUT-OFF PASSES
BILLS MOVE, BILLS DIE
BILL STATUS COLUMN CHANGING
PUBLIC HEARINGS NEXT WEEK
THREE WEEKS LEFT IN THE SESSION

At this point it is difficult to assess the impact of the school shooting in Florida on Wednesday – another Valentine’s Day Massacre. 17 people lost their lives to an individual who had been sending clear signals that he was a very disturbed person, yet no action was taken. According to some reports the FBI was informed of his threat, but no results of that warning are known.

Of immediate concern is the possible impact in Olympia THIS session. While bills are technically dead following the designated cut-off dates, exceptions can be made and bills can be revived. It’s rare, but it happens.

The day after the Florida school shooting, Democrats in the Washington legislature held a press conference to whine about their inability to pass “meaningful gun control bills” – despite the fact that they have a majority in BOTH the state House and Senate. (Is it possible that some Democrat legislators pay more attention to their constituents than they do to their “leaders?) They called for the initiative process to be used to pass what they couldn’t get in the legislature. These are the same Democrats who have been complaining about initiatives for years and who have tried to limit the procedure.

This was clearly a call to their Seattle sugar daddies to throw money at another gun initiative this year. Promise a solution to a problem and throw enough money at it to fund misleading advertising and BINGO! Instant gun control. Stand by!

Seattle stations also noticed that SB 5444 (expanded b/g check for “assault weapons” failed to make it out of the Senate. Look for media and Democrat leadership to be talking.

The chamber cut-off was this past Wednesday at 5 p.m. House bills that have not made it out of the House and Senate bills that have not passed the Senate are dead for the session. With the caveat that it ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings!

At the time of the chamber cut-off, the following bills failed to pass out of their original chamber: HBs 1122 (safe storage) and 1483 (destruction of forfeited firearms), and SBs 5441 (involuntary freeze on firearm possession), 5506 (transfer of firearms at non-profit events) and 6297 (firearm possession/history of violence). SB 6298 (DV harassment firearm ban) passed out of the Senate and sits in House Judiciary. HB 2519 (return of seized CPLs) was significantly amended on the floor of the House to allow active duty and honorably discharged military members aged 18-20 to apply for and receive a concealed pistol license, and to possess handguns outside the restrictions pertaining to other 18-20 year olds.

Executive sessions in House Judiciary (committee votes) were conducted on HBs 5553 (voluntary waiver of firearm rights/suicidal) and 5992 (bump stocks). An attempt to amend 5992 (bump stocks) to grandfather existing owners was defeated. (I’m sure a floor amendment will be offered to allow grandfathering of existing owners. This might be a good time to call your Representatives and politely but firmly ask them to support grandfathering on SB 5992.) Both passed out of committee on split votes, both now go to House Rules awaiting a floor vote.

For ease of reading/following, I have deleted all of the bills that have died at this point from the “BILL STATUS” column. The end-of-session GOAL Post will contain the complete list of bills. Those still listed with a “died” annotation were bills that died at chamber cut-off.

Two public hearings will be conducted next week on gun bills. The Senate Law & Justice Committee will take public testimony on HB 2519 on Tuesday, 20 February and the House Judiciary Committee will hear testimony on SB 6298 on Wednesday, 21 February. Both bills will be up for executive session (committee vote) on the day following the public session.

There are three weeks left in the regular session. The list of active bills has narrowed considerably, with five more dropping out at the chamber cut-off. But it still bears watching. Any time the legislature is in session bears watching!

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature’s web site at “www.leg.wa.gov“. Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe’s web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need “RealAudio” to do this, available free at the TVW web site). Each bill’s web page contains a link to any public hearing at the bottom of the page.

By reading the House and Senate “bill reports” (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the “roll call” for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to “jwaldron@halcyon.com“. Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at “jwaldron@halcyon.com” or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at “jwaldron@halcyon.com” with the words “Unsubscribe GOAL Post” in the subject line. I will remove your name immediately. Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun lists. If you received GP via a list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

“The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”

CHAMBER CUT-OFF NEXT WEDNESDAY
ACTION ON BILLS
PUBLIC HEARING ON SBs 5553 AND 5992
NO PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED
TEN BILLS REMAIN UNDER CONSIDERATION
TITLE ONLY BILL

The mid-session chamber cut-off occurs next Wednesday, 14 February. House bills that have not passed out of the House, and Senate bills that have not passed out of the Senate, are supposed to be dead for the session. That’s true in almost all cases, but on rare occasions, a bill can be resurrected.

SB 6298 (DV harassment) passed out of the Senate late Friday afternoon. It will now go to House Judiciary for consideration. SB 5444 (“assault weapon” background checks) and HB 1270 (encouraging voluntary use of firearm safety products) both died in the fiscal committee cut-off this week.

The Senate Law & Justice Committee held a public hearing on HB 2363 (delivery of contraband by drones). The House Judiciary Committee held a public hearing this morning on SB’s 5553 (voluntary waiver of firearm rights) and 5992 (bump stocks). I watched the hearing on TVWashington from my home office and I learned a new term: the “machine gun loophole.” The ignorance on the issue displayed by the bill’s supporters was immense – but that isn’t unusual when gun control advocates talk about guns. We really, really DO need gun safety education in our schools. True gun safety, not Michael Bloomberg’s version.

No public hearings on bills have been scheduled for next week, as most of the action is on the House and Senate floor through Wednesday. However, Senate L&J has scheduled a vote on HB 2363 for Wednesday, 15 Feb. House Judiciary has scheduled an executive session (committee vote) for Wednesday, 14 February, on SBs 5553 (waiver of firearm rights) and 5992 (bump stocks). The vote may be held over until Thursday.

At the end of the fifth week, there are ten bills surviving and still under consideration. The five are House Bills 1122 (safe storage), 1483 (destruction of firearms), 2363 (drone delivery of contraband), 2519 (return of seized CPLs) and Senate Bills 5441 (freeze on firearm possession), 5506 (transfer of firearms), 5553 (voluntary waiver of firearm rights), 5992 (bump stocks), 6297 (firearms with history of violence) and 6298 ( DV harassment firearm ban). SB 5506 is actually a Rules holdover from last year and will most likely not get a floor vote.

Then there’s Olympia trickery. The legislature will frequently reserve blank bills with a “title only” bill (i.e. give them a number and a broad title) and allow them to move through the process as a title only, without public review, until an agreement is reached on language). It is typically used in budget bills, leaving room for negotiation up until the last day(s).

On Tuesday, Senator Jaime Pedersen (D-43), chair of the Senate Law & Justice Committee, filed SB 6606, a bill “relating to criminal justice.” The bill, SB 6606, has been assigned to the Senate Ways & Means committee, indicating it is somehow a budget-related, but the “related to criminal justice” title could include just about every gun bill we’ve been tracking. I don’t recall seeing a “criminal justice” title-only bill in my time in Olympia. Senator Pedersen may have something entirely different in mind. Or this may be a gun control Trojan horse. That’s probably my gun rights activist paranoia kicking in! The fact that the bill number includes 66 6 doesn’t help, either.

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature’s web site at “www.leg.wa.gov“. Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe’s web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need “RealAudio” to do this, available free at the TVW web site). Each bill’s web page contains a link to any public hearing at the bottom of the page.

By reading the House and Senate “bill reports” (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the “roll call” for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to “jwaldron@halcyon.com“. Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at “jwaldron@halcyon.com” or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at “jwaldron@halcyon.com” with the words “Unsubscribe GOAL Post” in the subject line. I will remove your name immediately. Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun lists. If you received GP via a list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

“The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”

Today, 2 February, is the first chamber policy committee cut-off date. All bills that have not passed out of their original policy committee this session (for most gun bills Senate Law & Justice, House Judiciary and Public Safety) are considered dead for the remainder of the session. Theoretically – exceptions can be made — but those exceptions are rare.

Next Tuesday, 6 February, is the cut-off for bills that require major appropriations for the year. At this point, SB 5444 (a/w regulation) was sent to Senate Ways & Means because the original version of the bill had significant fiscal impact. The current version does not. I expect it will move right out of W&M to Senate Rules. The chamber cut-off – House bills out of the House, Senate bills out of the Senate – occurs on Wednesday, 14 February. “Normal procedures” aside, nothing is safe until the legislature adjourns in March.

SB 6476, by Sen. Wagoner (R-39), a bill that would exempt background checks for transfers between two CPL holders was introduced and sent to Senate Law & Justice. Too late for consideration in this session, unfortunately.

The version of SB 5444 that passed out of committee this week is significantly different from the original. Essentially, the amended version treats “assault weapons” like handguns, limiting sale to those 21 and over, and requiring the same dealer paperwork as handguns. The requirement for an “assault weapon license” is deleted, as are fees associated with the license. As watered down as it is, it is still unacceptable, as it adds so-called “assault weapons” to the state pistol registry.

Now that the policy committee deadline has passed, only a few of the 40+ gun bills introduced this year and last remain under consideration. I’ll change the status of the “dead” bills at chamber cut-off. The bills that are in their chamber Rules Committee are awaiting a floor vote. The following bills are still officially in play:

On Wednesday, Senate Law & Justice will hold a public hearing on HB 2363 (delivery of contraband by drone). The hearing is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. On Friday, 9 February, the House Judiciary Committee will hold public hearings on two gun bills that passed out of the Senate already. The bills are Substitute Senate Bill 5553 (suicide prevention/voluntary waiver of firearm rights) and Engrossed Senate Bill 5992 (bump stock ban). “Substitute” means a bill was amended in committee, Engrossed means it was amended on the chamber floor.

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature’s web site at “www.leg.wa.gov“. Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe’s web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need “RealAudio” to do this, available free at the TVW web site). Each bill’s web page contains a link to any public hearing at the bottom of the page.

By reading the House and Senate “bill reports” (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the “roll call” for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to “jwaldron@halcyon.com“. Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at “jwaldron@halcyon.com” or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at “jwaldron@halcyon.com” with the words “Unsubscribe GOAL Post” in the subject line. I will remove your name immediately. Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun lists. If you received GP via a list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Monroe 10-11 February
Puyallup 24-25 February

“The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”

(Quick and dirty this week. I just got back on the redeye from the SHOT (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trades) Show in Las Vegas. All kinds of new toys that our Dave Workman will be covering in future articles.)

SB 5992 (“bump stock ban) passed the Senate on a 29-20 vote. It now goes to House Judiciary for their consideration. Given that the bill had a couple of Republican co-sponsors and four Republican Senators voted “aye” on final passage, it will likely sail through the House and go to the governor. The impact of this is very limited, and if this is all that passes the legislature this session, we will be very lucky indeed.

SB 6415, by Sen. Hunt (D-22), and HB 2736, by Rep. Doglio (D-22), would require “express permission” from the homeowner before allowing a CPL holder carrying a concealed pistol in a residence. Violation is a misdemeanor plus FIVE YEARS’ LOSS OF CPL. “Express permission” is not further defined in the law. What constitutes “express?” Permission in writing? Video of owner granting permission?Court affidavit? Notarized statement?

The version of HB 1122 that passed out of House Judiciary last week was amended to follow the original language from HB 2319 introduced in 1997 (and gave rise to I-676 when it failed to pass the legislature that year). It drops the term “community endangerment” and returns to a form of reckless endangerment, it applies only to children who unlawfully access a firearm, and it defines “child” as anyone under the age of 18.

SB 5553 (suicide prevention, voluntary waiver of rights) passed out of the Senate January 24th on a 49-0 vote. It now moves over to House Judiciary.

A public hearing on several gun bills was conducted by House Judiciary on Thursday, 25 January. Testimony, pro and con, was taken on HBs 2666 (repeal state preemption), 1387 (background check on “assault weapons”), 2422 (restrict/ban “high capacity” magazines), 2293 (banning firearms in day care facilities) and 2519 (return of seized CPLs). It is interesting to note that not only were the anti crowd turned out in orange t-shirts for enhanced visibility, but for the first time (to the best of my recollection) pizza was catered in for this. But this was just a spontaneous grassroots turnout. Right! It’s nice to have millionaire sugar daddies.

The Senate Law & Justice committee will hold a public hearing on SB 6418 (possession of concealed firearm(s) in someone else’s residence) at 10:00 a.m. on January 30th. Senate Law & Justice will consider SBs 6297 and 6298 in Executive Session (vote to pass out of committee) on Friday, February 2nd, at 10:00 a.m.

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature’s web site at “www.leg.wa.gov“. Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe’s web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need “RealAudio” to do this, available free at the TVW web site). Each bill’s web page contains a link to any public hearing at the bottom of the page.

By reading the House and Senate “bill reports” (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the “roll call” for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to “jwaldron@halcyon.com“. Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at “jwaldron@halcyon.com” or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at “jwaldron@halcyon.com” with the words “Unsubscribe GOAL Post” in the subject line. I will remove your name immediately. Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun lists. If you received GP via a list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

“The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”

The correct date of the Fiscal committee cut-off is 6 February, not 5 February as reported last week.

The first big gun bill hearing was conducted by Senate Law & Justice on Monday, 15 January. There was a turnout of several hundred on both sides, with two overflow rooms filled with attendees (unfortunately the pro-gun lobby doesn’t have a billionaire sugar daddy who provides neat highly visible t-shirts – but most of us DO have gun-related ball caps, club badges, pins, etc.) It was an amazing display of ignorance about guns and gun laws by the pro-gun control side. But that doesn’t stop them and their billionaire allies from pushing for every restriction they can get through the system. The bills heard in public testimony included SBs 592 (trigger devices), 6049 (magazine ban), 5444 (modern sporting rifle registration), 5463 (safe storage) and 6146 (preemption repeal). The entire hearing can be viewed on TVWashington at https://www.tvw.org/watch/?eventID=2018011154.

Several new gun bills were filed this week. and one I missed last week! SB 6173, by Sen. Takko (D-19) is the counterpart of HB 2329 and strengthens privacy protections for CPL holders (our esteemed Attorney General wants to open CPL information to the public, as it was prior to 1993). HB 2422, by Rep. Peterson (D-21) is similar to SB 1049 and bans high capacity magazines. with exceptions. HB 2529 by Rep. Lovick (D-44) imposes the same background check (re-check requirement on CPLs that have been seized as previous law does was seized firearms, HB 2666, by Rep. Macri (D-43) is the companion bill to SB 6146, repealing state preemption of firearms regulation. SB 6298, by Sen. Dhingra (D-45), would add any conviction for domestic violence harassment to the list of violations forfeiting firearm rights. It’s bad enough that for more than ten years now we have been denying a fundamental, enumerated right to people convicted of what are essentially minor crimes. This is even more egregious ion that most domestic harassment cases consist of largely “he said-she said” testimony, and in today’s climate, the court usually errs on the side of the woman.

Two public hearings on gun bills will be conducted next week. At 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 23 January, the Senate Law & Justice Committee will take testimony on SBs 6297 and 6298 (banning possession of firearms for those with a history of violence or who have been convicted of domestic harassment). At 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, 25 January, the House Judiciary Committee will take testimony on HBs 2519 (return of seized CPLs), 2293 (daycare firearm ban), 1387 (a/w registration), 2422 (hi-cap mag ban) and 2666 (preemption repeal). Again, a strong turn-out carries a message all its own. Better yet, if you can make it to Oly for the hearing, be sure to wear some clearly pro-gun item of clothing (not camouflage!) such as a ball cap, club membership badge, etc. (If you have prepared testimony, be sure to carry a spare copy with you ands leave it with committee staff.)

SB 5992 (trigger devices) passed out of the Senate Law & Justice Committee on Tuesday and is now on the Senate floor calendar awaiting final passage from the Senate. They will likely vote on it next week.

A KIRO TV poll conducted earlier this week showed 66% of respondents do NOT support a ban on bump stocks. I went back a couple of days later to see if it had changed – and it HAD changed. it was pulled!

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature’s web site at “www.leg.wa.gov“. Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe’s web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need “RealAudio” to do this, available free at the TVW web site). Each bill’s web page contains a link to any public hearing at the bottom of the page.

By reading the House and Senate “bill reports” (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the “roll call” for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to “jwaldron@halcyon.com“. Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at “jwaldron@halcyon.com” or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at “jwaldron@halcyon.com” with the words “Unsubscribe GOAL Post” in the subject line. I will remove your name immediately. Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun lists. If you received GP via a list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

“The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”